The 2nm hype is already running into a supply wall.
The 2nm node is tipped to be the most cutting-edge lithography yet, with TSMC out front and orders lining up for AI chips and mobile SoCs. Mass-producing these wafers at scale is messy, and smartphone firms planning to use them are staring at compromises.
One tipster reckons TSMC will be partly to blame for silicon downgrades in handsets later this year, with the DRAM crisis doing the rest of the damage.
Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station says the 2nm process has ‘insufficient yields,’ and that TSMC is heading into a supply crunch that will push top-end SoCs into ‘Ultra’ models only.
The tipster did not name TSMC, but there are not many credible candidates for bleeding-edge nodes. Samsung is the obvious alternative, and it is having an even rougher time getting 2nm GAA yields up.
The result is a two-tier phone line-up where ‘Ultra’ or ‘Pro Max’ gets the best silicon and everyone else gets the cheaper compromise.
That lines up with rumours that Qualcomm will split launches between Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro. The Fruity Cargo Cult Apple is tipped to keep the same trick with the A20 and A20 Pro, with the cut-down parts earmarked for less-premium handsets.
MediaTek is expected to play along with Dimensity 9600 and Dimensity 9600 Pro, with the pricier chip reserved for the ‘crème de la crème’ models.
